


The First Taste

by saretton



Series: Ineffable Husbands Week 2019 [4]
Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: Apple Pie, Baby food, Crowley is Good With Kids (Good Omens), Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, F/M, It's up to you!, M/M, Nanny Crowley (Good Omens), Not Beta Read, Taste, aziraphale is good with kids, five senses, in different ways - Freeform, or they are just two agents like in the book, so you can decide whether they are the same people like in the tv show, there is no explicit reference that nanny and brother are the ineffable husbands, they are both i guess, we die like heroes, weaning a baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2019-09-21
Packaged: 2020-10-25 06:44:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20719823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saretton/pseuds/saretton
Summary: Ah, the nice, warm, welcoming, sweet, tantalizing, achingly sinful taste of an apple pie… Nobody could resist it. And she was planning to feed it to young Master Warlock, too, once he’d grown up enough to digest it properly. It was still too soon, but it was only a matter of time and, frankly, she looked forward to that moment.-------In which Nanny Ashtoreth bakes an apple pie and feeds baby Master Warlock while discussing the sense of taste with Brother Francis.





	The First Taste

**Author's Note:**

> Ineffable Husbands Week 2019  
Day 4: Thursday, 12th September 2019  
Theme: one of the senses  
My choice: taste

In the midst of a very relaxing baking session, Nanny Ashtoreth attentively cracked an egg and added it to the other three she had already placed in the bowl, then proceeding to whisk them at medium-low speed, humming happily and pushing the dark glasses up her nose from time to time as they were beginning to slip.

Baking was nice. Cooking, actually, was nice. She’d only started some months ago, when she’d come into service at the Embassy to watch over the ambassadors’ firstborn; and even though nobody had asked of her to do anything at all in the kitchen (they had a cook, after all), she quickly picked up the necessary skills after experiencing how soothing it was for her to play around with pots and pans.

Ah, the nice, warm, welcoming, sweet, tantalizing, achingly sinful taste of an apple pie… Nobody could resist it. And she was planning to feed it to young Master Warlock, too, once he’d grown up enough to digest it properly. It was still too soon, but it was only a matter of time and, frankly, she looked forward to that moment.

Brother Francis, the gardener, came into the kitchen through the back door shortly after Nanny Ashtoreth had finished adding all the powders to the mix. He had his usual smile on that lovely, earnest and round tomato-red face. “Baking, are we?”, he asked with unbridled glee, while washing his already-perfectly-clean hands. He never _did_ much gardening, anyway.

“Mmh-mmh.”

“Apple pie?“ 

“Oh, yessss. How did you know?”

“I didn’t, I took a wild guess. Listen, what is he-" 

"Napping”, she answered, anticipating his question.

It had always been like this for some time. After lunch, Brother Francis and young Master Warlock, just like magic, would both take a nap: the former would just sit in the shade of the Embassy park, on a bench inexplicably surrounded by many-coloured and sweet-smelling flowers and saplings, while the latter… Well, naps were to be expected from him. He was a 6-months-old, after all. 

“He’ll wake up soon”, Nanny said, checking the clock on the wall.

“Who is the apple pie for?" 

”…The masters?“ Nanny lifted an eyebrow. 

"Pity. I’d hoped it was for me.”

“Don’t have time to bake another one for you. I have to cook Master Warlock’s food for tonight. It will take some time.”

“You could always buy it, if it’s time what you don’t have”, suggested Brother Francis, but even he didn’t sound too convinced. “And before you say it, I know that the cook won’t help you, since feeding the baby is _your_ duty for now.”

“The taste would never be right. It is important that the young Master learns to recognize more and more different tastes. It’s a very delicate transition.” Nanny Ashtoreth started peeling half an apple and adding it to the mix.

“How is the weaning going, by the way?” Brother Francis hopped on a stool near the counter. He was a little more agile than he looked, even though he was pleasantly soft all around, like a sponge cake. Or even better, an angel cake. Nanny Ashtoreth forced that thought out of her mind, huffing in irritation. She had no time to tempt herself, she already had a lot to do tempting _everyone else_ in that blasted household - the young Master especially.

“Going fine. I wanted to try feeding him something new tonight. I think he’s ready for some meat purée.”

“Sounds nice. He’ll be curious to taste it, I guess.” He sighed happily and looked at the ceiling.

_Oh no, there he goes_, Nanny Ashtoreth thought a little fondly, _it’s The Daydream Sigh again_.

“Can you imagine – the first time you eat something? It’s almost impossible to remember it for most of the things we eat or have eaten, and yet… What a magical moment it is. The first morsel, when you’re _not_ already certain that you’ll like that food, you’re just curious. The spark of joy when you decide that you _do_ like it. The confirmation of the second, quicker bite, when you get more eager to eat more of that. The feeling of a new consistency on your tongue, on your palate and teeth…”

“I would like to remind you that actually Master Warlock only has one tooth for now.”

“Please don’t interrupt. I was saying… Discovering different tastes. The energy of salt, the sadness of bitter, the quirk of sour… Choosing your favourite one. Mixing them up, trying different combinations.” He rested his elbows on the counter, a dreamy look in his eyes. Nanny Ashtoreth smiled, but she didn’t answer. More than eating, she liked cooking; eating was a “Brother Francis” thing.

“Do you think that’s the feeling Eve got when she tasted the forbidden fruit for the first time? The only thing she had not been allowed to taste before then…”

Nanny Ashtoreth gave a small laugh, keeping her lips pursed. “I’m sure of that. She tasted knowledge, the sweetest fruit.”

“Sometimes it’s the most sour, though. You can never tell which of the two is going to be.” Brother Francis sighed again, but not in his Daydream mode, this time. He sounded a little resigned.

A silence fell between them. After a few minutes, in which Nanny was getting ready to put the cake in the oven, Brother Francis spoke again. “Do you think I could, uh, join you tonight? You know, when it’s supper time for Master Warlock. After all, I don’t have much else to do.”

Nanny Ashtoreth closed the oven and turned to face him. _Why not?_ After all, the baby could use some company. Poor thing, always somewhat neglected and overlooked by those two busy parents, during a time in which bonds were a fundamental part of a baby’s emotional and psychological growth. Master Warlock and Nanny Ashtoreth spent most of their evenings alone, between a meal, a cuddle and a nap. She was Master Warlock’s mother almost more than his true mother was, frankly. She liked being so close to him, watching him grow day by day, but the distance his mother was keeping from him made her a little sad.

She blinked at Brother Francis behind her dark glasses. “Sure. We’ll be waiting.”

————---------------------------------------

“Here comes the little choo-choo train! Woot-woot! Make way! Iiincomiiing!” Nanny Ashtoreth tried for the twentieth time to feed her baby Master a little spoonful of the meat purée she’d so lovingly prepared, only to be answered by a pair of confused blue eyes watching her. Master Warlock had taken only a couple of spoonfuls of the new food before becoming apparently perplexed and closing his mouth until further notice.

She sighed, waving the plastic little spoon in front of the baby. “Master Warlock, Nanny is _not_ happy with you. In fact, she’s starting to feel a little desperate.” She heard Brother Francis gave a small laugh from where he was sitting. “How are you supposed to rule the world if you won’t feed on the meat of your foes? Come now, love, if you please, open that mouth. Aaaah…” The baby, unmoved, just blinked at her.

“Do you think he’ll be a vegan if and when he grows to his full powers?” Brother Francis candidly asked, gulping the second slice of the apple pie that the Dowlings had refused to eat because ‘they were too full, thank you very much, though’. By contrast, no such concept as ‘being too full’ had ever existed for Brother Francis; so there he was, enjoying the soft and cinnamon-scented pie he had longed for only some hours earlier. “After all, if he gets to the point of his life when he rules over everything and everyone, he’ll have to change his diet – otherwise he might end up eating all of his subjects. That _won’t_ be nice, believe me.”

This reasoning was so twisted and so accurate in its confusion that Nanny Ashtoreth immediately gave up trying to make any sense of it. She decided to blame all of this blabbering on the champagne Francis had been drinking (in slightly worrying amounts, by then) while eating the pie. Champagne and apple pie, what a strange match. “You’re not helping, and _of course_ he’s not going to be a vegan, it’s against his demonic nature”, she retorted without looking at the gardener.

“Mind you, it was just a question made out of curiosity. Personally speaking”, Brother Francis gulped the pie again, “I wouldn’t ever be able to go vegan, but I respect everyone who is able to do that. It takes nerves of steel, initially.”

“How can you say that when you’ve never tried? It may be hard for some, easy for others. And besides, what is this vegan talk now? Is it part of your plan to balance my dark influences?” The frustration was starting to be there in Nanny Ashtoreth’s voice. Truth be told, she, too, didn’t give a fig about what the Heaven Master Warlock would choose once he’d grown up; however, in order for the child to grow up healthy and strong, she had decided that his diet would have to be like that of any other child.

Luckily, in his 6-months-old wisdom, Master Warlock provided a distraction from that topic which was getting his nanny more and more frustrated. He wiggled adorably in his high chair, gurgling and waving his short plump arms towards Brother Francis.

“Conssssorting with the enemy, are you, now?” Nanny Ashtoreth hissed in a mock fit of jealousy. She knew perfectly well that, in order for the plan to work out, the baby had better spend as much time with the good gardener as he spent with her. Still, pretending to be actual enemies was fun.

“Oh, sweet baby boy. Would you like some pie, mmh? I bet you would. Scrumptious, it is.” He gave a big smile and waved the fork with a small piece of pie towards the baby.

“_He can’t eat apple pie yet_.”

“I know, I know, I was only joking.”

“Anyway, I’d feel safer if you sobered up. You’ve had quite a share of champagne by now and you are in no fit state to interact with any child, let alone Master Warlock. Not when you are tipsy.”

“Agreed”, said the gardener. A moment later, a stranger entering the room could have seen three bottles of champagne on the table, filled to the brim and perfectly sealed, plus one very sober cheerful gardener.

“That’s better”, Nanny Ashtoreth approved with a quick smile.

Out of the blue, Master Warlock half-squealed with inexplicable joy and patted (more like… slammed) his squishy tiny hands on the high chair tray.

Brother Francis chuckled and opened his arms. “Come to Brother Francis, little Master.” He turned to the nanny. “You don’t mind now, do you?”

“Go ahead”, she conceded. She took Master Warlock from the high chair and carefully handed him over to Brother Francis.

“Why, welcome, baby one! Let’s get you comfortable”, he said fondly as he made him sit upright, the baby’s back safe against his belly. Warlock smiled silently, looking around, probably surprised by the sudden and slightly unexpected softness he felt. As she noticed this change, Nanny Ashtoreth relaxed and smiled too. She pretended not to acknowledge that part of this sudden good mood was due to the sight of Brother Francis being a natural with children. From the baby’s perspective, the gardener probably felt like a safe and colourful pouf. Her heart half-melted, but she was careful and experienced enough not to show.

“Quick, his guard is off, try feeding him now”, Brother Francis half-muttered.

The nanny, quickly coming back to reality, grabbed the little bowl and spoon and approached her baby Master. “Who’s a wicked baby boy? Oh yeah, that’s right, how forgetful of me. You are!” The baby clumsily clapped his little hands, surveying every movement of the auburn-haired woman. “The choo-choo’s a little late, but it can still come through, love. Let’s let it go to the station, ok? Aaaaahm…”

With great delight from both parties, Master Warlock finally opened his little mouth to eat again.

“Why! Is this perhaps the taste of… meat? But of course!” Nanny Ashtoreth went on rambling by herself, overjoyed that the closeness of Francis made the baby feel safe enough to encourage him to explore something new.

Brother Francis laughed wholeheartedly. “It tasted good, didn’t it? Shall we try it again, Master Warlock? Mmh? What do we say?”

They managed to feed the baby another couple of spoonfuls, each time accompanied by Nanny Ashtoreth’s remarks about how much he was ‘evil’ or ‘wicked’. At the third mention, Brother Francis huffed fondly. “Fine, I’ll let these ‘wicked’ remarks pass for now. Just for this one time, though, since it was a kind of… emergency.”

The baby cooed merrily, looking with much more interest than before at the little bowl in his nanny’s hands.

The nanny and the gardener smiled, looking knowingly into each other’s eyes, before going back to feeding Master Warlock one tiny spoonful a time.

**Author's Note:**

> I had to research baby food and weaning in order to write this :D
> 
> Maybe choosing taste was a little predictable, but the situation is unusual, I guess.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! As usual, come find me also on Tumblr. :) The nickname's saretton there, too!


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